The two-day conference, the first of its kind to be hosted by the Institute of Diplomatic Studies (IDS) in Riyadh, will be rich in political and security content with focus on the role of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the changing regional and international landscape.
“The eight new ambassadors are veterans with exceptional integrity and achievements,” said Alauddin A. Alaskary, deputy minister for protocol affairs. Their oath-taking ceremony was attended by top Saudi officials, including Minister of Defense Prince Salman and Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah, deputy minister of foreign affairs. Veteran diplomat Saud Al-Sati has been named new ambassador to India while Fahed Al-Rasheed will head the Saudi mission in Kuala Lumpur.
RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed on the need to restart Middle East peace talks and discussed Iran’s nuclear program.
The victim is believed to have been affected by botulism and an alert was sounded by the Europe’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). “A warning has already been posted on the website of Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA) asking consumers in Saudi Arabia to take maximum precautions,” said an SFDA official in Riyadh on Sunday.
King Abdullah received the envoys’ credentials at a palace ceremony attended by Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, members of the royal family as well as senior civil and military officials.
Riyadh Mayor Prince Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Ayyaf Al-Muqrin also announced the names of the seven winners for the city’s municipal council with no single group sweeping the poll, be it moderate, religious or those with endorsements from celebrities or businessmen.
Saudi citizens unable to visit polling stations because of legal complications or statutory provisions can also avail themselves of the facility to vote by delegating authority to a Saudi citizen, Abdul Rahman Al-Dahmash, chief of the 11-member electoral commission, said Friday. The names of 5,069 candidates running in the elections to be held on Sept. 29 will be announced Saturday.
RIYADH: Chairman of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has announced the launch of a 24-hour international Arabic news channel, which will air from Dec. 12 next year.
“The three new ambassadors, Faisal H. Trad, Saleh Mohammed Al-Ghamdi and Khaled Musaed Al-Anqari, are veterans with exceptional records of integrity, service and achievements,” said Osama Nugali, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Riyadh on Saturday.
Top officials in Saudi Arabia including Shoura members, heads of Islamic organizations and academics lent their support Monday to the call made by the king to stop the bloodshed in Syria and initiate necessary reforms to ensure peace in the strife-torn country. “Syrian President Bashar Assad has lost the legitimacy to rule,” said Hamza Khoshain, a member of the Shoura Council, in Riyadh on Monday. “King Abdullah has sent a clear message to the Syrian regime by recalling the Saudi ambassador for consultations and by asking Damascus to rectify the situation as soon as possible.”